No legal appeal for Pubwatch-banned drinkers, rules court
Drinkers banned from pubs covered by the Pubwatch crime prevention scheme have no legal recourse, a high court has ruled.
In April 2007, Buckingham resident Matthew Proud was banned from all licensed premises in the area covered by the Pubwatch scheme, after he was involved in an altercation at the Kings Head pub.
He sought to judicially review the decision of Buckingham Pubwatch in the High Court. Initially, the application was refused by a judge considering the papers, and again, by a second judge, following a request for an oral hearing.
Proud then sought leave to appeal to the Court of Appeal in September, but it has now ruled the role of Pubwatch is limited to assisting licensees, and is not an area the courts should interfere in. The latest decision is final and there is no further opportunity for appeal.
Clare Eames, partner at law firm Poppleston Allen, said: "This is a welcome decision for all Pubwatch schemes and indeed local authorities and police licensing officers around the country.
"Had Proud's claim been successful, then the very future of Pubwatch would have hung in the balance."
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By Daniel Thomas
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